On Tue, 14 Mar 2000, John Cowan wrote:
> ...nyloc nut securing the right inner tie rod end was loose and that the
> stem of the tie rod end was loose within its socket...
> 1. Is the stem of the tie rod supposed to rotate within the socket?
No.
> 2. Does the loose and rotating stem indicate that the tie rod end is
> trashed? (I think it does).
Not necessarily. You're dealing with a taper fit here. If the nut
loosens up and the end of the tie rod moves up out of the taper, it will
be free to move.
> 3. Things seem tight, now, but should I assume the tie rod end is unsafe to
> drive with?
Again, not necessarily.
> 4. Could the nyloc nut have worked itself out?...
Maybe. This is a prime example why, in most cases, nylocs should not be
reused. I would most definitely get a new, quality nyloc nut asap!
> 5. Does this sound like I got a bad tie rod end from TRF?
Again, not necessarily.
> Further note: Some time ago I posted a question about dealing with an
> annoying shimmy just above 50 MPH. I never fully solved the problem, but
> it had diminished to the point where I could ignore it - until we tightened
> up the tie rod end last week. Now it's worse than ever. Interestingly,
> the shimmy began just after I had the front end aligned.
The alignment was not done properly? Are the wheels balanced? Do they run
true or within tolerances in all planes (radially and side-to-side)?
Anything else loose anywhere up front?
--Andy
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Andrew Mace, President and *
* 10/Herald/Vitesse (Sports 6) Consultant *
* Vintage Triumph Register <www.vtr.org> *
* amace@unix2.nysed.gov *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|